This quinoa arugula salad features asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, marcona almonds, and parmesan cheese, all tossed in a deliciously light lemon vinaigrette. This salad is bright, fresh, and flavorful, and is perfect for this time of year!
Often times I hear from people that they’re in a food rut and don’t know what to make for meals. They’re either stressed and pressed for time, lost their creative juices when it comes to meal prep, or simply fall back on the same familiar dishes they are tired of but are easy for them to throw together. This happens to the best of us. Even enthusiastic home cooks get stuck in familiar, tired patterns.
Here Are Some Helpful Ways To Get Out Of A Food Rut:
- Pick a new ingredient at the grocery store each week and find a recipe using that ingredient that gets you excited to try.
- Speak with friends, family, co-workers about what they eat and meals they cook. Swap your go-to recipes with people and you’ll get a new arsenal of recipes to try.
- Order a home delivery meal kit to change it up. A lot of these companies even post their recipes online.
- Incorporate theme nights. Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, breakfast for dinner, pizza night, pasta night, sandwich night, and more!
- Change up the ingredients in your go-to recipes. Love beef tacos? Try swapping in lentils or beans. Also, use different herbs or spices to create new and interesting flavor profiles.
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My Final Tip….
Get inspiration from your favorite restaurants! Restaurants are an overlooked resource for recipe ideas. For instance, there have been countless times that I’ve been at a restaurant and I’m blown away by the creativity of ingredient combinations or preparation of a dish. I’ll go home and try to recreate the dish or play with new ideas to make it my own. Menus often have a description or list of ingredients in each dish which can help guide you. In fact, some of my favorite go-to recipes have been inspired from a meal out.
Inspiration For This Quinoa Arugula Salad
This quinoa arugula salad was inspired by a salad my mom and I used to split for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. I don’t believe the salad is on their menu anymore. However, because it used to be one of my favorites, I decided to create my own version with several changes and ingredient swaps.
What Are The Ingredients In This Salad?
This salad combines tender peppery arugula, bitter asparagus, sweet-tart sun-dried tomatoes, fluffy quinoa, and crunchy marcona almonds. In addition, a touch of nutty, salty parmesan cheese and tangy pickled red onions are added to the mix. Everything is tossed together, then finished off with a lemon vinaigrette.
Why I Love A Grain Salad Bowl
Grain salad bowls are an incredible way to incorporate a variety of nutrients into a meal. They are packed with plenty of veggies, fiber, healthy fats, and protein, and also lend themselves to endless flavor combinations. Adding whole grains to a salad is a healthy way to make it more filling and satisfying. I also love how easy they are to prep in bulk for meals all week.
In addition, check out this post to learn how to make healthy grain bowls!
Substitutions
This salad is great as is but if you don’t like, or don’t have a specific ingredient, you can easily make some substitutions:
- If arugula isn’t your thing, feel free to substitute any salad greens like spinach, kale, or mixed greens.
- Instead of parmesan cheese, use feta or goat cheese. If you’re vegan, omit the cheese.
- Don’t like sun-dried tomatoes? You can replace them with regular tomatoes.
- Can’t find marcona almonds? Slivered or sliced almonds are a great substitute. Alternatively, use your favorite nut or seed like pine nuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds.
- I personally love the combination of quinoa with arugula. However, if you’re not too keen on quinoa, substitute another whole grain like farro, barley, or wheat berries.
One Satisfying Meal
While this salad works well as a side, it has all the ingredients to make a satisfying and filling all-in-one meal. If you want additional protein, for even more staying power, it’s great with grilled chicken, shrimp, steak, beans, or tofu!
Looking For More Salad Inspiration? Check Out The Recipes Below:
- Arugula Spring Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
- Greek Dressing
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Chickpea Salad with Cucumbers & Tomatoes
- Summer Nectarine Salad
Quinoa Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ small red onion sliced very thin pickled
- ⅓ Cup uncooked quinoa
- ⅔ Cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 10 Asparagus spears ends trimmed
- 4-5 Cups Arugula
- ¼ cup Sun-dried tomatoes sliced, not packed in oil
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese or feta or goat cheese
- ¼ cup marcona almonds cut in half (substitute regular almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts)
Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ Tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- To make pickled red onion: place the sliced red onion in a small, but wide bottom bowl. Pour red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar) into the bowl until most of the onion is submerged. Set aside and occasionally stir to make sure all the onions get pickled.
- To cook the quinoa: combine the uncooked quinoa with the vegetable broth in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat source, cover the pot, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let cool completely before using in the salad. See notes below.
- Blanch the asparagus: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes depending upon thickness. Use a fork to test if they are fork-tender.
- Once to your liking, immediately plunge asparagus into an ice water bath to halt the cooking. When cooled completely, drain and pat dry. Then slice into ½-1 inch pieces.
- Prepare the dressing: Add all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk well. Alternatively, you can blend in a blender.
- Assemble the salad: Place the arugula, cooked asparagus, cooled quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and almonds into a large bowl. Add the mixed dressing (start with less dressing and you can always add more) and toss well to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Prepare the quinoa ahead of time so it has time to cool. You can prepare it 1-2 days in advance. Alternatively, if you’re short on time, once the quinoa is cooked you can spread thin on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to cool faster. If you don’t want to pickle the red onions they will have a stronger taste in the salad. Or eliminate completely. For your ice water bath, fill a medium-large bowl with cold water and a few ice cubes. This serves as a method to shock the vegetables and prevent them from continuing to cook. Wait to dress the salad until right before eating so the arugula stays crisp. You can prep all the other ingredients up ahead of time.
What’s your favorite salad? Share in the comments below. I love to try out your recommendations, and maybe other readers will love your ideas, too! Also, be sure to stay in touch and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
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